Prisons, probation and courts

James EvansConservative

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

Lovely. I want to move on, because obviously the Welsh Tribunals service is relocating to Powys County Council offices. What impact do you think that might have, considering that that organisation might be subject to cases against it? How does it maintain that impartiality when you're sharing a…

Tagged for: “Welsh Tribunals”Official Record

Syr Wyn Williams

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

There have been challenges, as I'm sure Rhian would accept, about filling all posts necessary in the Welsh Tribunals unit, and every time there are one or two down, it's more difficult for cases to be administered as efficiently and speedily as we would wish. But, in defence of the Welsh Tribunals…

Tagged for: “Welsh Tribunals”Official Record

James EvansConservative

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

Yes, thank you. You mentioned earlier about getting cases dealt with speedily, and that's really important. Do you think the Welsh Tribunals unit have enough resources to help all Welsh tribunals in making sure that things are done as speedily and justly as possible?

Tagged for: “Welsh Tribunals”Official Record

Syr Wyn Williams

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

Yes. Well, the statutory barriers are that all our tribunals pre-existed the Wales Act 2017, and so they've got rights of appeal going, as I've said, some to tribunals, some to courts, which pre-date all of this. So, there would be a need for legislation to change that.

Tagged for: “tribunals”, “courts”Official Record

Syr Wyn Williams

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

I think this draws me into how you would appoint judges of the appeal tribunal, and the assumption is that appeal judges are usually salaried judges, and all the rest of it, as they are in the England and Wales system. But they don't need to be that, especially in a very small jurisdiction, which…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Welsh Tribunals”Official Record

Alun DaviesLabour

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

Is there any reason why the system in Wales could do it more quickly if the current system of Wales and England is unable to work in the way that you have described? Is it simply the experience of the Channel Islands that you're drawing on, or is it a knowledge of something in the system in Wales?

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Welsh Tribunals”Official Record

Alun DaviesLabour

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

Yes, I just wanted to follow up on what you said about the time lag at the moment that the Wales and England system creates, and the assertion that Wales could do it far more quickly. That was based on your experience of the Channel Islands.

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Welsh Tribunals”Official Record

Syr Wyn Williams

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

…say that with a degree of experience that I'll share with you. Contemporaneously with my presidency of Welsh Tribunals, I've been a judge of the Court of Appeal of Guernsey and Jersey, where they have their own appellate system. And appeals in Guernsey and Jersey are heard literally within weeks, or…

Tagged for: “Welsh Tribunals”, “tribunals”Official Record

Huw Irranca-DaviesLabour

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

Okay. That's really interesting. Can I draw you to the effect of creating an appeal tribunal, on the very basic principle of access to justice? What do you think it will deliver for the people of Wales?

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Welsh Tribunals”Official Record

Syr Wyn Williams

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

And, as I've said, in respect of the two potential ways of doing it, then that's much more nuanced. No doubt, there may be wider concerns than just what a judge might think of that, and I accept that. But I think that's the fundamental principle—that because justice has to be seen to be done, then…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Welsh Tribunals”Official Record

Syr Wyn Williams

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

…of a connection between the Government and the judiciary, so that there is certainly a need to make the Welsh Tribunals unit independent, and the debate is how you do it.

Tagged for: “Welsh Tribunals”Official Record

James EvansConservative

13 March 2023, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

President of Welsh Tribunals: Annual Report 2021-22

I have a question that's about the independence, and you can take me as one of those people who do not know the nuances of all this. So, what do you think the benefits and the challenges would be of being more independent of the Welsh Government, which is what the Law Commission have said?

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Welsh Tribunals”Official Record